Obsidian Hill Hotel: Service Quality and Management Strategies

This report examines the service quality at Obsidian Hill Hotel, a 200-room hotel with various departments. The objective is to identify areas for improvement to enhance customer satisfaction. The report evaluates key service quality dimensions (tangibles, reliability, responsiveness, assurance, and empathy) and finds them lacking. It analyzes existing service management strategies, including teamwork, constructive feedback, SOPs, and staffing adjustments. The report recommends new strategies, such as systematic teamwork, regular meetings, employee motivation, and training and development to improve service management and customer experience. The report concludes by emphasizing the need for implementing these strategies to remain competitive and meet customer expectations.

Assessment 1 – Individual Report
Assignment 1 – Individual Report Page 1

Contents
Introduction......................................................................................................................................3
(1) To evaluate the key service quality dimensions demonstrated at the hotel...............................4
(2) To identify and analyse existing service management strategies..............................................6
(3) To recommend modified or new service management strategies to improve the customer
service and experience.....................................................................................................................7
Conclusion.......................................................................................................................................9
References......................................................................................................................................10
Assignment 1 – Individual Report Page 2

Introduction
Obsidian Hill Hotel is a renowned hotel in a prime city location with 200 rooms, two function
rooms and one restaurant with bar. The operations of the hotel comprise of six departments such
as front office, bell desk, housekeeping, food and beverage, human resource and marketing. It is
found that the customers are not satisfied with the level of services provided at the hotel mostly
with the interior of the rooms, ineffective lobby etc. The objective of the report is to identify the
areas of improvement where the improvement strategies can be implemented in order to satisfy
the needs and expectations to the fullest. The key service quality dimensions will be critically
demonstrated along with the identification of the existing service management strategies. Also,
recommendations will be provided for the new service management strategies in order to
improve the service as well as the experience of the customers.
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(1) To evaluate the key service quality dimensions demonstrated at the hotel
In the words of Ahamed & Mohideen (2015), the quality of the service in the hospitality industry
is one of the important factors for the attainment of the competitive advantage and customer faith
in the competitive marketplace. Service quality offers a chance to the hospitality industry in the
creation of the competitive differentiation. It is the sign of the successful hotel to deliver
excellent and authentic quality services to the customers. Service quality is defined as the extent
to which the service fulfills the expectations of the customers. It offers numerous advantages to
the organization such as the maximum satisfaction of the customers, contributes to the
profitability and performance of the organization, enhances customer loyalty and commitment
and offers a competitive advantage to the organization. There are five dimensions of the service
quality which represents the different aspects of the quality of the services provided by the hotel
to the customers. The brief description of the service quality dimensions at Obsidian Hill Hotel is
stated as under:
Tangibles: It presents the appearance of the physical facilities, equipment and the
communication channels that gains the first attraction of the customers. The lobby of Obsidian
Hill Hotel is not as effective as per the feedbacks of the customers and also the rooms which are
oddly shaped and unimpressive as per the modern demands of the customers. In addition to it,
the communication channels at the hotel are also not appropriate where the customers are not
greeted by anyone at the doorstep. Some of the staff is polite while some are rude.
Reliability: It reflects on the ability of the hotel staff to deliver the promises accurately and
effectively. The services offered at Obsidian Hill Hotel are not attractive and boring where the
customers cannot make the order as per their choices rather than depending on what is available.
Responsiveness: The willingness of the staff to respond to the customers (Mawari, et. al., 2014).
The attitude of the hotel staff is rude with no clearance to the customers’ problems and queries.
Assurance: It is the knowledge and courtesy of the employees to make the feel customers happy
and satisfied. Some of the staff at the hotel knows how to treat the customers but not all. As per
the feedback of a customer, the bell staff of the hotel is good and helpful.
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Empathy: It shows the caring and attention the organization provides to its customers (Ahamed
& Mohideen, 2015). The customer service at Obsidian Hill Hotel is much unorganised and
inappropriate that does not match with the needs and expectations of the customers.
The above is the service quality dimensions at the Obsidian Hill Hotel that shows that the quality
of the service offered at the hotel is very poor that needs changes to improve for the maximum
satisfaction of the customers.
Assignment 1 – Individual Report Page 5

(2) To identify and analyse existing service management strategies
In the words of Ehrlinger, et. al. (2017), service management is a discipline of management that
focuses on the customer and service. The services should be managed throughout the lifecycle
for the maximum satisfaction of the customers. At Obsidian Hill Hotel, a number of strategies
have been employed with an objective to ensure maximum satisfaction to the customers by
providing them authentic and effective services. The existing service management strategies at
Obsidian Hill Hotel are discussed and analysed in the points below.
 Teams have established in order to fulfill the particular tasks and activities at the hotel. The
dynamics of teamwork is missing in the hotel where there is no contact between the inter-team
and cross-functional teams. The interrelationships between the employees are also not found in
the teams at the hotel.
 The manager offers constructive feedback to the team leaders and shows effective qualities of
leadership that help in the smooth ongoing of the functions up to some extent (Braimah, 2016).
 The hotel is also using Standard Operating Procedure (SOP) in order to provide instructions to
the staff for smoothly carrying out the complex routine operations in an effective way. It is a
written instruction that helps in maintaining quality and consistency of the services provided at
the hotel.
 During the times of low occupancy, the managers of the restaurants often cut the staffing but
with the instructions of the hotel manager and general manager, the concentration made on the
quality of the services.
Assignment 1 – Individual Report Page 6

(3) To recommend modified or new service management strategies to improve the customer
service and experience.
On the basis of the analysis of the existing service management strategies, it is found that there is
high need of improvement in the service management strategies if the hotel wants to retain in the
competitive market for a longer time. The quality of the service management strategies should be
improved in order to supply the services in compliance with the demands and expectations of the
customers. Some of the recommended service management strategies have reflected below
which should be implemented in the hotel to make improvements in its daily operations.
Systematic teamwork: Teamwork is a key to success in the organizations belong to any sector
or industry. Especially in the service industry, teamwork possesses high importance and
recognition. The team should be divided at Obsidian Hill Hotel on the basis of the individual
skills and capabilities of the employees so that they can contribute their maximum for the
accomplishment of the particular tasks (McIntosh & Harris, 2017). In addition to it, there should
be sound interrelationships between the teams in order to ensure maximum cooperation and
coordination. When the teams will start communicating and interacting with each other, there
will be smooth sailing of the desired aims and objectives.
Regular meetings and discussion: Regular staff meetings will be helpful for the Obsidian Hill
Hotel in sharing and discussing the range of ideas and issues and corrective actions will be
implemented accordingly. At the same time, the problems and queries of the employees within
the teams or outside the teams can be effectively solved with greater ease and flexibility. Regular
meeting and discussions will be helpful in improving the level of customer service at the hotel in
an efficient manner.
Motivation: Motivation of the staff is an important context when it comes to the delivery of the
quality services to the customers as employees are the ones who are responsible for the
satisfaction and dissatisfaction of the customers in the hospitality sector. At Obsidian Hill Hotel
the employees should be timely motivated and encouraged with the help of monetary and non-
monetary benefits in order to enhance their participation and involvement in the operations. For
an instance, when the employees will be highly motivated and encouraged, they will start
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contributing maximum for the attainment to the organizational goals and objectives of the hotel
and also provides more authentic services to the customers in order to broaden their experience.
Training and development: The prime objective of the people in the hospitality industry is to
serve the customers and ensures their satisfaction. Workers from the dishwashers, bell service to
the managers need to be trained for the maximum enhancement of the experience of the
customers at the Obsidian Hill Hotel. For an instance, the customers are complaining about the
communication of the staff, hence the training efforts should be concentrated on the
improvement of the communication skills of the staff so as to greet the customers with proper
gesture and attitude (Zumitzavan & Udchachone, 2014). Also, training of the new recruits is
important in order to make them aware of the target customers, their needs and demands, etc. It
will improve the ability as well as knowledge of the employees that will not satisfy the customers
but will also help in dealing with the customers with greater ease and flexibility.
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Conclusion
The above report has clearly highlighted the current situation of the key dimensions as well as
service management strategies at the Obsidian Hill Hotel in an effective way. The
recommendations are provided which will be helpful in improving the service management
strategies and broaden the satisfaction and experience of the customers. The hotel management
must focus on the implementation of the proposed service management strategies in order to
improve its current operations and provide the services in compliance with the needs and
expectations of the customers.
Assignment 1 – Individual Report Page 9

References
 Ahamed, L. A., & Mohideen, R. K. (2015). Service quality and guests behavioural intentions: A
study in the kodaikanal star hotels. Journal Impact Factor, 6(1), 475-483.
 Braimah, M. (2016). Internal marketing and employee commitment in the hospitality
industry. African Journal of Hospitality, Tourism and Leisure, 5(2), 1-22.
 Ehrlinger, D., Tempelmayr, D., Stadlmann, C., Mang, S., & Biedersberger, A. (2017). Selling
Industrial Services–How to Achieve Industrial Service Excellence?. In Cross-Cultural Business
Conference 2017 (p. 149).
 Mawari, E. K., Yebabe, Y., & Mosess, B. (2014). Developing New Market Strategy from Supply
Chain Management Perspective: A Case of Jotun in Brazil. International Journal of Supply
Chain Management, 3(2).
 McIntosh, A. J., & Harris, C. (2017). Representations of the ‘Good Life’: Hospitality Training
for Young People with Learning Difficulties at the Special Needs Hotel, UK. Critical Tourism
Studies Proceedings, 2017(1), 57.
 Zumitzavan, V., & Udchachone, S. (2014). The Influence of Leadership Styles on Organisational
Performance Mediated by Organisational Innovation: A Case Study of the Hospitality Industry in
Thailand. RECENT ADVANCES in ECONOMICS, MANAGEMENT And DEVELOPMENT, 45.
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